Kingdom of Humanity - Lower-level - morning

King Relius and I chased the boy through the streets, running past, pushing through civilians. We decided to head off the kid by cornering him down an alleyway. As I block the front, the king is blocking the back.

“Nowhere left to run.” His attention turns to me as he hugs my sword. “Return my weapon,” I demand of him as I close in with my hand reaching out to him. He backs up to the king, bumping against his legs.

“S-stay away!” He tries to draw the sword. I stop him before he can do it. “Let me go!”

“I’ll be taking my weapon back.”

With a simple application of brute force, I yank the sword out of his hands.

He blocks his head with his hands. “Don’t kill me, please, sir knight,” the boy begs as he curls into a ball.

“N-no, I’m not going to harm you. I just wanted my sword back. However, you shouldn’t steal from others!”

“Ah, forgive me, sir knight!”

“Calm yourself, child,” the king says, his voice as calm as the wind. “Explain yourself and maybe you shall not be punished for your deeds.”

He helps the boy up from the ground with one hand.

“I… I wanted to buy something for my sister,” the boy answers in a hushed voice.

“What would that be?” I press.

“A cake from a bakery in the upper-level.”

“You would sell my weapon for a confection!?”

The boy flinches at my harsh tone. I didn’t mean to be harsh since he is a child, however, that is no excuse for him to try to sell my weapon.

“Why a cake?” the king politely furthers the topic.

“Because it’s my sister’s birthday and we couldn’t afford it this year. Father said it was because of a rival competitor in the market. Father and mother work hard to buy the best cakes from the upper level for our birthdays, and I wanted to get one, or else her birthday will be ruined.”

If it’s for such a reason, then I suppose I cannot be angry, but it still doesn’t justify theft.

“I can understand your plight and while I do sympathize with you, you cannot just steal things to benefit, even if it is for others,” I scold him while trying to control my tone.

“I concur, albeit, since it was for a worthy cause, I shall give you this as compensation.” The king takes off something from his hand. He hands the boy a silver-clad ring that has a beautiful emerald gem.

“I-I can have this!?”

“No, we shall help you sell it, but you must hold on to it.”

“Why?”

“Because, you must hold the responsibility for what you want to accomplish, and in that instance, you must work hard to strive for what you want; stealing and lying will only get you so far.” He plants his hand on the kid’s head, rubbing it around. “...The future of this kingdom rests on children like you growing up to be fair, courageous, and with a just attitude for the future of this kingdom. So, no more stealing, working hard. Is this understood?”

“Y-yes, sir, thank you! I shall steal never again!”

“Also, you do not need a cake for an enjoyable birthday, just being with your family is all,” king Relius kindly tells him. “So even without a cake, be thankful for the people who are there for you. Do you understand?”

“Yes, I do, sir.”

“Excellent, now, let us be on our way to selling that ring.”

“Yes, and thank you again.”

“Think nothing of it.”

Relius and the boy leave the alleyway. The air the boy is walking with is much happier than when we caught him. The king seems to be satisfied with himself. Is it because he was able to manipulate the situation? He did give him his ring, but it can be easily replaced with his wealth. Despite this notion, a piece of me is saying that his actions of kindness are genuine. It’s easy for me to assume that he doesn’t care for his people, but if a part of me thinks he genuinely means what he is doing, then I shall give him the benefit of a doubt, and that is all I can do.

…

As Legion and Relius walk with the boy to sell the ring, two mysterious individuals stalk them from the shadows, observing king Relius in particular with the eyes of a beast starving for prey, wanting to quench their thirst for blood.

“We’ll strike them when they are alone.”

“Understood. Let’s kill that bastard king!”

They continue to watch them from afar, waiting for their opportunity to strike.

Kingdom of Humanity - Middle-level - evening

King Relius and I enjoyed the day around the lower-level after helping the boy sell off the ring. We sampled many restaurants, saw a fight under the kingdom in a strange arena, and we went to various other establishments that gave me an insight into the culture of the lower level. It shows that the people down there are hard-working civilians, but people who know when to enjoy themselves. Not only that, they seem to respect king Relius greatly, not only as a king but as an icon for a new generation. I can understand why, since his time came, technology has begun to integrate itself into society, and he was able to save this kingdom from the brink of collapse to the place it is now.

But none of this answers why he left the castle today.

“Wasn’t today fun?” He opens before I can ask my question. “...The people are so lively, living their lives with such bliss. One would think that this kingdom only knew wondrous times... It wasn’t always like that. Anyone who lived during my father’s time lived with hardship and the threat of death every day; fearing the worst scum out there,” he ends, contempt contaminating his voice.

“Are you referring to the people outside?”

“Yes, they would attack our kingdom and attempt to kill me, my family… One day, they were successful…”

I heard of his family’s death; the queen was killed defending her children, but the princess was burned alive along with the previous king in her room… It must be an unbearable pain that still lingers in his heart to this very day.

“...I envy you, Legion. You have people you can call family. Treasure that, one day, you might lose that”

“Relius, I…”

“No, I must apologize, I brought down the mood with such a depressing tale.” Relius’ tone of voice and his expression shows a deep sadness that still lingers around him, even when he is trying to hide it.

“Is that why you gave that boy your ring?”

“I simply admire those who care for their family. Family is the only thing you can really trust in this world. Without it, we might as well be lone beasts in the wild. Being a king can sometimes make that loneliness apparent. So, I wanted to look around, take in the sights of my kingdom, mingle with the people to bolster my resolve for being a king. That is usually the reason why I occasionally go out of the castle.”

I see, then…

“I am sorry,” I abruptly apologize.

“Sorry for what?”

“For thinking you were abandoning your duties. It was rude to assume so.”

“No need, I am glad you show concern for that fact...” He stops moving, turning to face me. “...I am glad you and I were able to spend time outside of the castle. It was quite entertaining."

"I'm glad to have accompanied you… But what do you mean by 'usually'?"

“Surprised you caught onto that insignificant detail. Well, to tell the truth, we’re here on the Middle-level. But first, tell me, what did we discuss earlier about the nobility?”

“Someone is murdering them. Why is that...relevant…” Hold on, he said we’re on the Middle-level for one purpose, then he brings up the murders for no reason, at least, that’s what I thought. Don’t tell me… “Are you searching for the murderer!?”

“Excellent deduction, no wonder your organization holds you in high regard.”

“It’s dangerous for you to be doing this. Were you going to do this by yourself if I didn’t encounter you?”

“Of course, you expect me to allow a murderer to run around in my kingdom?”

Do I call this righteous dedication or blind confidence, either way, this is too dangerous for him to handle.

“King Relius, let me worry about the murderer, so let’s return to the castle for now.”

“I will do no such thing. This man must be stopped at once!”

If you spot this story on Amazon, know that it has been stolen. Report the violation.

“I understand you wish to end this, but you must…”

Distance footsteps approach us from behind. Their steps echo as they close in. I place my hand on the hilt of my sword, ready for combat. I look around the area, looking for any more potential threats. In an alleyway, someone is holding a bow in our direction. Within a split second, I draw my sword, dragging the tip of the blade against the ground to conjure a wall of ice that curves around the king, protecting him from the arrows.

“My, so you can use Source?”

“How do you… That doesn’t matter, just stick near me!”

The person approaching us breaks into a run, taking out a chain and sickle. Damn, I can’t leave the king’s side, I have to intercept and protect the king. I create an icicle from the palm of my hand and strike it with my fist, shooting it at the enemy. He barely dodges the icicle as it scrapes the side of his clothes. That isn’t enough. I’ll trap him!

“Take this!” Slashing the air with my sword, I created two ice blocks mimicking a blade as I slash empty air. The momentum of my slash pushes these ice blades, shooting them towards my opponent, who hardly managed to dodge it, getting their arm cut as a result. Now he’s injured and won’t be able to perform at 100%.

“Take this, you bastard spawn!”

Someone else is behind us, aiming an attack at the king. I can make it if I act quick enough!

“No need for insults,” King Relius comments, undisturbed by the new assailant.

He swings something from his cloak, faster than I expected him to move. Two blades clash, metal clashing against each other echoes in my ear. He’s holding a sword in his hand, holding off the assailant with little to no effort.

“King Relius, you can fight?”

“Of course, a king that cannot fight is useless to his kingdom. So stop gawking at my abilities and start fighting!”

He’s right, I need to focus on the surrounding enemies. The enemy in front throws the chain at me. A metal ball on it darts at my forehead. I hit the iron ball to the side with the hilt of my sword. He closes in with his sickle, slashing at me. I move out of the way, only to block another attack from the chain and ball. He switches effortlessly between the two, smoothly advancing without hesitation. I’m able to deflect, parry, and dodge the close yet ranged attacks he’s throwing at me, but if he continues to stay close while staying away, then I’ll be in trouble! He throws the sickle part at the ice wall. It banks off of it towards me. Damn, I can’t evade in time. Instead, I summon a wall of Ice to block the attack. My opponent quickly moves into my line of sight. As I’m about to summon more ice, the ball and chain zone in on me. I guard with my arm, only for it to wrap itself around my arm.

“Now, die!”

My body meets an unbearable current of electricity. The crackling of it zapping around my body is painful to the ears. Any more of this and I’ll probably go deft! I have to focus! Focus, focus, focus, focus…! My Source turns itself into a blue hue of electricity that cancels out the once painful electrical current coming from the chain. A moment of peace is found, despite the enemy still being in front of me. Nonetheless, I can breathe like normal… Now, I think it is time that this man pays for the damage he has given me a thousand-fold!

“Take this, Joy Buzzer!”

I send my Electricity Source throughout the chain, having it reach my opponent in a blink of an eye. Blue lightning surrounds him, lighting him up in a blue hue. He lets out a cry of anguish, screaming into the night sky as he is taking the force of my lightning. I stop after 4 seconds. He immediately drops to the ground, making a loud thump sound as he lands face first.

“That takes care of one of them.” Wasting no time, I move to check up on king Relius. “King Relius, are you okay!?” Getting a good look at the scene in front of me, his opponent is on the ground, disarmed, as he tries to worm away. From the bottom of my left foot, a trail of ice speeds after him. It climbs up his leg, covering it in ice.

“Good job, Legion. Source truly is handy,” the king expresses how impressed he is. He sheaths his sword as he walks over to the man I defeated. “Wake up.”

His foot hits the defeated man in the ribs.

“No need to do that, he is already defeated.”

“As if I care, he’ll wake up, whether he wants to or not.”

A second kick strikes his ribs. The first time was already going too far, but I cannot allow this to go on any further.

I grab his arm, yanking him away from the downed man. “I said that is enough! He is a defeated opponent, there is no need for such treatment!”

The man he’s been kicking groans in pain as he wakes up.

“Nice to see you are conscious. Now I can ascertain your intentions. Are you two responsible for the death of 3 nobles?”

“Yes, we are!”

“Why?”

“Cause they deserve to die, as well as you!”

“Is that so? Well, maybe we can change that attitude when you’re put up for execution.”

“I am not afraid of you! I fight for the pride of Borghulda!”

“Ha, such a mouthy little dog. Maybe I should remove that tongue of yours before I have your head roll?”

“Enough!” My grip on the king’s arm tightens, getting a better feeling for the bone in his arm. Regardless of what might happen to me, I shall not let this behavior carry on. “You are acting out of line!”

“And who are you to tell me how I’m acting?”

“I am saying this because it’s what I think is right. You are supposed to be better than this! Shouldn’t a king be more benevolent, superior in terms of demeanor, and integrity? Well, am I wrong, or not!?”

He turns his head away, hiding his face from me. The king, after a moment of silence, slaps his face hard. He then removes his foot off the enemy. Turning to face me, I can see his right cheek is red from the slap.

“Legion, you are right… I am supposed to be beyond this… I just have an ill temperament when it comes to outsiders. Such an embarrassing sight, no?” He asks me as he smiles, not with the same superior air or a playful expression, but one that shows humiliation. It catches me off guard, no, more like it helps clear some of my doubts about him. I thought of him as a man who doesn’t take anything he does seriously and treats it as a joke. However, him sharing how he feels about his past and how he’s acting after I called him out, alongside his current state, there is no doubt that there is more to this man than meets the eye.

“...No, it’s not embarrassing at all,” I return with a warm smile…

9/18 - Kingdom of Humanity - King Relius’ castle - morning

The halls are quiet, even when someone is walking past me, they don’t utter a word to fill the silence. After the encounter with the murderers, the knights rushed to the scene from a noise report. King Relius explained what happened, and the rest was settled there. From all that excitement, I went to my room and didn’t bother changing out of my uniform. It even has wrinkles now, great…

As I’m about to pass the throne room, a large figure comes from the throne room as I’m walking near it. It’s Hendrick, who is wearing silver-clad heavy armor that looks heavier than what a normal person, let alone a knight, should wear.

“Sir Legion, how do you fair?” he asks me, putting his right hand over his heart.

“I am alright, how about you?”

“Right as rain, I just concluded a report on those villainous individuals you and the king caught yesterday.”

“What happened to them, if you don’t mind me asking?”

“If I recall, they were taken to BlackRock prison. At first, we were going to execute them, but my lord changed said orders. He said, and I recount the exact words, ‘they would only serve as martyrs if they are slain’. That is all.”

Seems as though he has taken what happened yesterday to heart.

“I see, then I suppose all’s well that ends well.”

“Indeed, however…” Hendrick drops to the ground, kneeling to me with his head facing the ground. “I give you my thanks for protecting our king!” His voice resounds throughout the halls. “...Due to my negligence, my lord left the castle without any proper escort! I am ashamed, nothing can cleanse such shame!”

“N-no! It is okay, you were busy training your men. How would you know the king would sneak out?”

“I must know where he is at all times! If I do not, then he could be exposed to danger such as yesterday… Many tried to take the lord’s life when he was but a youngling.”

“I know, he told me. But on the subject of that, he also treated the outsider harshly by kicking them, even when they were downed.”

“I see,” he answers with a lack of surprise but with a saddened tone. “...The lord has lived a coarse life. His days as a child were met with threats of death from the outsiders, and his family perished by their hands. With all that, his trust for those who live outside the kingdom is scant, and his care for them dismal. I can only imagine the bottomless hatred he has for those on the outside. The thought that he carries such hatred is a sad one indeed.”

I don’t think I can imagine what that must feel like to carry around that type of hatred for so long, and I can’t even begin to understand the kings. Even so, I don’t think everyone on the outside deserves such hatred.

“What about you… Do you hate them?” I ask.

His expression hardens as he faces me from the ground. “No, I hold no resentment for them. Even when I lost dear friends and family from those awful years, I never once hated them.”

“Can you not?”

“Do not be mistaken, I am not perfect, but I see no reason to hold it 7 years after the fact. The losses during that war taught me my own weakness, showed me what I should fight for, and strengthened my beliefs, so I shall not look back and allow hatred to confine me; I have a promise to keep, and keep it I shall.”

He gets off his knees as his armor makes a metallic clanking sound, just from moving. “Once again, you have my thanks for protecting our lord. I shall one day repay my debt to you, mark my words.”

Ending the conversation with that vow, he walks past me; his metallic footsteps grow even distant as he walks down the hall. The sense of gratitude I sensed from him, as well as the dignified air he had around him while wearing that armor, is nothing short of knighthood. Although, it’s not just because he’s a knight, but because he cares for the king.

“Well, what a surprising development. You have gained Hendrick’s respect, something that should be treasured.” King Relius comes from the throne room with a delighted smile, as usual.

“King Relius, morning.”

“Morning yourself. After last night, Hendrick scolded me for leaving the castle.”

“He scolded you?”

Never in my life did I think I would hear a knight who pledged his life to a king would scold that same king.

“Yes, he’s like a doting mother rather than a brute whenever I do something idiotic. Sometimes I wish he were… Though, I’ve come to rely on the fact he wears his heart on his sleeves; it makes it easy to trust him.”

“Having such an ally must be a sign of relief in its own right.”

“Would you consider him family?”

“Yes, he’s the older brother/ mother figure.” There is something awfully wrong with that picture, something that would scar me for life if I dare imagine it. King Relius places a hand on my shoulder. “About last night, thank you for aiding me. I fear without you, I would’ve faced an untimely death. So I must apologize for dragging you into my foolish endeavor.”

“It’s all right. I’m glad to be of assistance, but in the future, I hope you practice caution, as well as forethought.”

“Duly noted. Since that is out of the way, I shall be on my way. The duties of a king are quite lengthy and difficult, so I need to get a foothold in it.”

“Right, and I need to go on patrol once more. I’ll report to you if anything comes up,”

He gives me a thumbs-up as he walks back to the throne room. Suddenly, a question that was in my head last night surfaces in the front of my mind.

“King Relius: do you care for your kingdom and its people?”

Without regard to my manners, I ask it aloud. He stops in his tracks, motionless, showing no emotion with body language. His head slightly turns to have his right eye to face me. “Do I care for them…?” Muttering that, he theatrically spins around, facing me with a delighted look on him. That tells me all I need to know. “...Yes, greatly. I care for them greatly. My father loved all his people, so I must love them as well, for my father.”

There is no other way to say it, he’s carrying an unbearable burden on his shoulders by being king. Each step for him is painful as he carries on his late father’s will. Yet, he doesn’t show any resentment, bitterness, disdain, or sorrow, just an iron-clad will to shoulder this burden, as well as a genuine love for his people… This man is what I would call a true king.

“Legion, would you like to have breakfast with me?” he asks.

“Are you sure it’s okay?”

“Of course, even a king needs to eat in the morning, and eating with a companion is nothing but delightful. Well?”

I can’t see why I would reject his offer. Also, it might be fun to eat with someone like him. Besides, breakfast is the most important meal of the day, so maybe I shouldn’t skimp on it too often.

“Very well, I accept your invitation to eat with you.”

“Excellent, we shall engorge ourselves till we burst!”

“No need to go that far.”

“Do not fret, it shall be a mild engorging.”

“I don’t think there can be a mild engorging.”

“Now you are fooling with me!”